Tag Archives: dance

Blog, Devotional, Pastor Desmond

It ain’t over ’till It’s Over 

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It ain’t over till it’s over!

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalms 126:5

I can  vividly remember being in a pool.  I had ventured off into the deep and before I knew it I went under fighting with all that I had.  Something led me to know that if I didn’t get a hold of myself I was going to drown. There wasn’t a lifeguard in sight.  I went under again and somehow my mind went into survival mode and well, apparently I made it !  Thank God, I had some fight left in me to want to live, thank God he had work for me to do.

How many times in life have we been drowning in our issues? …in our bills with no apparent help in sight but some kind of way you can look back and say that I made it!

Keep fighting it ain’t over!

Blog, Lady Mel

What’s In a Screenshot/Text and What’s Not. It’s Up To You!

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A picture/text or a screenshot is only but a moment in time. Don’t get tricked into a negative state of mind because of a picture, remember it’s missing some key elements.  In the courtroom a photo can be referred to as demonstrative evidence, and its primary purpose is to illustrate the testimony of a witness to help the jurors understand difficult factual issues. 

Even in biblical times Solomon resorted to demonstrative evidence 1 Kings 3:16-28 (NIV). When called upon to decide which of two women was the mother of an infant child. When he proposed to cut the child in half and give half to each, the human instinct of the true mother readily demonstrated the one to whom the child belonged, for she asked that the other woman be given the child.

When someone sends you a picture/text they have purpose:

  1. They relate to your current feeling (their way of saying i’m on your team)
  2. They want you to relate to how they are feeling
  3. Provide proof of location/information
  4. Hopes of getting you to draw a conclusion, to put you on common ground.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but its value is interpreted by the receiver. The receiver must draw their own conclusion. I can influence you by attaching my caption or feelings but it’s still up to you. Your conclusion could be based on a few outside factors, your history with that person, your current feelings about that person, and of course the influence of the person who sent you that text or screenshot.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8

Don’t give anyone that kind of control over you!

-Lady Mel

Blog, Pastor Desmond

Don’t Let This Happen To You!

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A snake never lingers in a well kept lawn. It lingers in search of food and or refuge.

 

Often times we despise the snake because of its characteristics, but yet we will find time to entertain and permit inhabitation when the characteristics of deceit are there and ever-present. It’s very simple if I want to move forward I need to clean up my own yard; and clear up those bushes and eliminate those dark corners , and I need to rid myself of negative people and thoughts. You see people in their fleshly or carnal mind will come to you in search of mess and or negativity they will eat your food, sit at your table, tell you how wonderful you are, while watching your tv and sucking up that good air condition all in all lingering and planning your demise or sowing seeds of discord.

The question is who am I entertaining? Ask your neighbor why do you find rest in my home? What have I fed you lately?

Don’t get bit!

Blog, Inspirational thoughts, Pastor Desmond

Don’t Let that Text Fool You!

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Don’t let that cell phone make you think that they are calling/texting you like they really care. You see these devices mean well, but sometimes the user doesn’t #leadinglikeafriend #livinginlove

Blog, Pastor Desmond

Characteristics of A Good Soldier

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In honor of Memorial Day. I found it fitting to share some key scriptures as it relates to the characteristics of a good soldier.

 

 

Blog, Lady Mel, Pastor Desmond

Just Call Me Opportunity!

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I was recently talking to my son after the adrenaline of football practice, well his adrenaline, lol.  I Iooked at him and his face gleamed with such confidence. He then said, mom you know I listened to chance the rapper and he is inspiring and all, but you can just call me opportunity and for some reason that word opportunity stuck with me.

I just started praising God for opportunities and let me tell you, you really begin to reposition yourself when I started looking at all the ways that He’s made and all of the doors that He’s opened, my praise became so expressive that it overflowed into the remainder of the week.

When Bartimaeus got up that morning, he had no idea that Jesus Christ was going to be passing by him that day. He thought it was just another ordinary day: same place, same cry for help, same miserable, lonely, pitiful lifestyle. He had no time to prepare for Jesus; it was just an opportunity that was dropped in his lap. He had to seize the moment.He said, “I’m not going to miss this one, I’m going to take advantage. Jesus is coming so just call me opportunity!”

One must have a positive perspective despite life challenges, to seize an opportunity. The mind is complicated and has many pathways that has been deeply embedded over time. You know that inherently our brain will “choose the most energy efficient path.” What I’m saying is that our brain depends heavily on prior learning and in order to change it to a more positive view it will require repetition or practice. In fact, if you are over 25 years old depending on the complexity, it can take upwards of 144 days for your brain to embed into the motor cortex of the brain, which is involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements.  So just keep speaking life to your life, over your situations, and over your circumstances. Keep speaking life to yourself until your brain no longer sees the impossibilities of the moment but only the opportunity. Stop letting self hold you back! Have you prayed for, God has given, so seize the opportunity.

Tomorrow isn’t promised and I want you to just call me, “opportunity!”

This aspect of this devotion focuses on the pathway to positivity, or righteousness while preparing you for opportunity.

The challenge is to change my way of thinking!

-Lady Mel/ Pastor Desmond

Blog, Devotional, Pastor Desmond

Faith

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I woke up this morning with faith on my mind. Regardless of your situation don’t lose hope.

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Hebrews 11:1-3 NLT

The question is : Do I represent unto God and others a life of faith?

Don’t lose hope. You have been hoping for it keep believing that it shall come to pass!

-Pastor Desmond

Blog, Lady Mel

Dealing With Difficult People

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We have all had to deal with difficult people in our lives at one time or another. In fact, we might be very well dealing with them right now. We come in contact with all types of people who are judgemental, messy, troublesome, sarcastic, nosey, argumentative, belligerent, mean, rude, obnoxious, and condescending.

You will eventually have to deal with difficult people one way or the other. You can go to one place and then pack up and move to another location you are bound to deal with them.

As Christians God has given us the ability and authority to overcome all these tactics that have been designed to get a response from us. .We do know that: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(Ephesians 5:12 KJV) Our ability and authority that we have been entrusted with, allows us to control our responses; this is only mastered through prayer and supplication. (Philippians 4:6)

What is supplication?

Supplication is asking God for something for yourself. In my dealing with difficult people I need to ask God to give me the strength to overlook the sarcasm of a co worker. Another key element in supplication is that I need to have faith that God will give me that ability. It takes a great deal of discipline to allow God to do his perfect work in you and through you; to be the calm in the face of chaos.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally….. James 1:4-5

Jesus dealt with difficult people in multiple ways but my focus will be on the way of remaining silent  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not . (John 8:6) This moment reflects how one can be in the center of all kinds of stuff, but still being focused on the path that God had laid out for Him, He didn’t waver, He didn’t shake his head He kneeled down and got his thoughts together. In order to do that Jesus had to have patience. It’s not worth losing your cool trying to figure other people out.

Honestly, patience is one virtue that I’m praying for,lol. I do know that patience is like a push-up and that you do get better with it in time, and the time required. Perseverance is steady movement in spite of what we see or feel, and it is also a continuance of grace..

In conclusion in dealing with difficult people we have to have that moment when we look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves what part did I play in the problem and or condition? Your past might come up, but don’t let your past sideline your present and deadline your future. What i’m saying is that if you have worked on your past move on! Your past was only a season of your life and not where your life was destined to end. If you haven’t worked on your past don’t get mad, get to work because God still has a work to do in you!

I’m so glad that God met me where I was with my flaws and all,  He still loves me and He loves you too!

-Lady Mel

Blog, Lady Mel

Our need for Direction

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How many people have ignored the truth at one time or another? I could put two hands up!

Our need for direction is instinctual because something/someone is after you! Everything is going wrong, but some how you saw the shadow of death and God woke you up and snatched you out. Again, I can say yeah that has been me too. I then had to realize that what i was doing wasn’t working yes, I too needed direction.

 [The righteous] cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Psalms 34:14

You could be the person who says, “I have ignored all the signs and now I need more. ” It only takes one step to get on track while in pursuit of direction you will then face some tough questions, and even tougher challenges. You will also have to face something called deliverance and it is at that point you might get uncomfortable because you will have to adapt to a new normal. I say that because at some point your disfunction became normal to you. Don’t get scared remember that change isn’t easy, your pursuit of direction doesn’t ever really stop it can best be reflected in stages of growth.

Keep Going, Keep growing! He wants you to take you to your next level.

-Lady Mel

Blog, Devotional, Pastor Desmond

Why Do I Feel Like I’m losing this fight?

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Ephesians 6:12 New Living Translation (NLT) 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (NLT).

The fight really isn’t against a political party, a human being, a particular denomination, religious belief, nationality, gender, race, or anything temporal . The reason that we may be losing the fight is because we have declared war on and toward the wrong target. People of God, we have not been called to fight a physical fight with physical weapons. We must put down our guns, we must put down our knives, we must put down any physical weapon that does not have the capacity to tap into an address the real force at hand.  What is this force at hand? The force at hand is spiritual. The power behind the force is simply the adversary. The adversary is the enemy of which no physical weapon of warfare can even contend with. John 10:10 declares that the enemy comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy. He has been destroyed because we have chosen to bring a knife (physical warfare weapons), to a gunfight (spiritual warfare). When I look at the woes and the injustices in society, I cannot see a race, gender, nationality, political party, or anything tangible issue but I must know that a spiritual fight is at hand. However, II Corinthians 10:4-5 (NLT) says,4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ (NLT).

Stop bringing a stick to a gunfight!

We are in a spiritual warfare. The reason we continue to lose the fight is because we are addressing spiritual warfare with physical weapons. When we really look at the defeat we are experiencing in our lives, the cruelty in our society, ranging from in our homes to worldwide,it is impossible to see that we are facing a real adversary with real opposition. However, God has equipped us with necessary weapons to tear the adversaries BEHIND, every moment, just read Ephesians 6:10-18. You are not weak, you’ve just got to equip yourself with the right weapons.   You have the power to defeat the enemy and reclaim your: family, job, child, health, society, life, victory, peace, hope, joy, mind, church, and whatever it may be. You have been given the spiritual weapons of warfare.

We must stop focusing our time and resources on fighting a person or thing but must build a culture as well as society who is able to discern the true opposition at hand. Throw your stick down and receive God’s Spirit, get some Word in you, and stand up on the promises God. No Weapon formed against you, in whatever capacity, shall prosper……….. Stay tuned…. 

-Pastor Desmond